South Bruce OPP urge people to beware of scams

(SOUTHERN BRUCE COUNTY, ON) - The South Bruce OPP is urging residents to beware of con-artists after two reports of successful scams in the Municipality of Kincardine. Both involved a phone call from a "lawyer" wanting gift cards to pay fines incurred by car accidents. Unfortunately, both scams were successful and the scammer netted more than $10,000 from those two calls.
 
Modern, tech-savvy con-artists have the ability to create very convincing scams. They won't hesitate to use the name of a legitimate company in an effort to gain your trust and trick you into paying them. 
 
Always be cautious with unsolicited E-mail, phone calls, letters, even visitors at your door. Unsolicited means that you didn't ask for it. Always be certain who you are dealing with before you ever consider sending money or sharing personal information.
 
There is no magic to preventing fraud. If it seems too good to be true, it likely is, and you can't win a lottery or contest that you didn't enter in the first place. You work hard for your money, so work just as hard to protect it. Don't pay the con artist. 
 
Anyone interested in more information on fraud, can contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or check on-line at http://www.antifraudcentre.ca/.
 
The South Bruce OPP is requesting anyone with information that can assist police to call 1-888-310-1122. Should you wish to remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or submit a secure web-tip at www.cstip.ca, where you may be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $2,000.